First boot checklist

Step-by-step guide for setting up the G1 for the first time. A professional installer typically completes this in ~3 hours; self-install takes about half a day.

Phase 1 — Physical setup

1.1 Placement

Place the machine on a flat, stable surface
The G1 rests on aluminum feet already mounted under the bottom aluminum strips — no base pallet needed
Allow at least 50 cm clearance on all sides for the tube and vacuum unit
Place the pellet bucket close to the machine — the shorter the corrugated tube, the better (max 1.5 m)

1.2 Electrical connections

The power box (under the panel box, on the right side of the printer) has three power sockets, labelled from the top:

Forced (always-on): general purpose / free for low-consumption accessories only (laptop charger, camera) — never high-power loads
Feeding (feeding-controlled): for the vacuum pump — the printer turns it on/off automatically
Bed (firmware-controlled): reserved for the bed heater — connect ONLY the bed heater cable here

Do NOT plug the bed heater into the Forced socket (always-on). Plugging it there causes the bed to heat uncontrolled and trips the safety at 110°C.

See Bed heater on wrong outlet and Power outlets (power box) for detail.

1.3 Vacuum voltage check

EU machines (220–240V): use the supplied 220V vacuum
Non-EU machines (110V regions): use a 110V vacuum — never plug a 110V vacuum into a 220V socket
If you only have a 220V machine in a 110V region: use a step-down transformer between the socket and the vacuum

1.4 Emergency stop

Check that the red mushroom button on the front is released (twist and pull up). If it’s pressed, the machine will not power on. See Machine won’t start - emergency button.

Phase 1B — First power-on checks (G1 First Kick-Off)

These checks are from the official assembly manual “G1 First Kick Off” section:

Connect the 2 power cables to the main plugs and turn them on — the 2 red LEDs on the plugs will turn on and the printer will power up
Check that the Panel and Screen turn on correctly
Check that the fans under the Panel, on the Power Box, and at the entrance of the extruder freely rotate

Phase 2 — Network and software

2.0 Homing and motor checks (do before WiFi setup)

From the display, use the “Move” menu → Home All to perform the first homing
Verify that all 4 Z motors spin correctly in the same direction
Verify that all 2 Y motors spin correctly in the same direction
Verify that the X motor spins correctly in the homing direction
Verify that the Z probe sensor correctly deploys and that its microswitch is correctly positioned to touch the bed

2.1 Connect to WiFi

On the display, open the WiFi menu to find your network settings
Connect to your local WiFi network from the WiFi menu
Find the printer IP in the System menu on the display
Type the IP address in your browser — the Mainsail control panel appears
Alternatively, find the IP via your router’s connected devices list

2.2 Install Ginger Slicer

Download from gingeradditive.com/software
Install and launch
Select your nozzle size and a starting material profile
Connect to the printer via IP address (same local network)

Phase 2B — First heating and extrusion

2B.1 Heating up

Preheat the extruder and the heated bed to the proper “Temperature” for your material
Note: the extruder has been tested at the factory with PLA, so the barrel still has material inside. Temperature may take several minutes to reach the set value.
Allow the extruder to reach temperature completely before attempting any extrusion

2B.2 First extrusion

When the extruder is at temperature, perform a first extrusion via the “Extrude” menu
Check that E0 Main Extruder motor and E1 Hopper motor spin in the correct direction (arrows on the extruder indicate correct direction)
To activate the automatic feeding system, use the FEEDER toggle in the “Extrude” menu
Be aware that activation of the FEEDER is enabled after the end of the extrusion command — there is a short delay before pellets begin moving

Phase 3 — First calibrations (do these before first print)

3.1 Check firmware version

In Mainsail → Update Manager — update any pending components.

3.2 Bed leveling

Heat the extruder to printing temperature (e.g. 200°C for PLA)

Always heat before running bed leveling — cold material on the nozzle tip can trigger the probe early and give a wrong mesh
From the printer display: Macros → Bed Leveling
Wait for the full mesh to complete (1–3 minutes)
Save the result from the display

3.3 Z offset

After bed leveling, start a test print (single skirt line)
Adjust Z offset live from the display while the first line prints
Target: first line slightly flattened (~80% of its height), touching the bed firmly
Save when happy — if you don’t save, the value resets on restart

See Z offset and first layer for the full procedure.

3.4 Rotation Volume calibration

Load your material and heat to temperature
Print a single skirt/purge line
Measure the line width with a caliper
Adjust Rotation Volume in the material profile until width matches what the slicer targets

See Rotation Volume calibration for the full procedure.

Phase 4 — First print

Pre-print checklist

Emergency stop button released (not pressed)
Bed heater cable in the bed socket (power box)
Vacuum pump in the feeding socket (power box)
Pellets loaded and hopper has material
Corrugated tube clamped tight at both ends
Extruder heated to target temperature
Bed leveling mesh saved
Z offset saved
Rotation Volume calibrated for this material

Starting the print

Send the G-code from Ginger Slicer (preferred) — this allows live monitoring and error display
Alternatively, upload the file to Mainsail → print from the Files tab
Watch the first 2–3 layers closely: first layer quality determines the whole print

Common first-boot issues

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Machine won’t turn on	Emergency stop pressed	Twist and release the red button
Bed heats to 110°C then errors	Bed cable in wrong outlet	Move cable to the bed socket
Vacuum not running	Not plugged into feeding socket	Move vacuum to the feeding socket
No WiFi hotspot	Machine not fully booted	Wait 60 s, try again
First layer too high / not sticking	Z offset not set	Run Z offset calibration and save
First layer blobs / over-extruded	Rotation Volume too low	Increase Rotation Volume
Print starts rough then improves	Previous material purging	Normal — run longer purge line